2018 Conference Theme

CREATIVITY & CRITICAL THINKING IN THE EARLY YEARS

The 2018 BECERA theme will focus on the importance and nature of creativity and critical thinking within early years curriculum and pedagogy from birth. As we look to re-examine the Foundation Stage Early Learning Goals, the key place of the Characteristics of Effective Learning and enabling environments that nurture this capacity deserve further consideration. Learners for the future will need the ability to be adaptable, flexible, self-regulating, able to innovate and engage with knowledge generation creatively and with a critical eye. The creative curriculum will be key to developing higher order thinking skills and realising the power in young children to innovate and critically evaluate fast moving developments.

BECERA 2018 will seek to explore and address three key questions:

How might creativity and critical thinking, key elements in the Characteristics of Effective Learning, be better embedded in pedagogical practice?

What are the professional challenges for securing high quality creativity and critical thinking in early years curriculum and pedagogy and how
might these challenges be addressed in initial and continuing professional development?

How might research explore and promote the development of more creative and critical thinking in children throughout the foundation years and early primary schooling?